Author: VK
One of the elders of Caucasian politics, the seemingly "unsinkable" mayor of Makhachkala, Said Amirov, is sitting in a Moscow prison and awaiting formal charges. A week ago, this scenario seemed unthinkable, but today it is a reality. Despite the various rumors about his complicated situation, few could imagine that on June 1, while the great leadership of the republic was present in Kaspijsk at the opening of the new stadium, the "Anzhi Arena", in the center of Makhachkala, a military helicopter would land on the square for the detention of the mayor and further transportation to Moscow.
The Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case for Said Amirov on suspicion of the murder of the interim Head of the Investigation Department of the Russian Investigative Committee for the Sovietski district of Makhachkala, Arsen Gadzhibekov, in 2011. So far, the Basmanny Court of Moscow at the request of the investigation has arrested the head of Makhachkala till August 1 of this year.
In Dagestan the turn of events in the life of the mayor was not perceived similarly by everyone. Thus, the chairman of the National Assembly (Parliament) of Dagestan Khizri Shihsaidov (associate of the current acting president of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov) believes that the arrest of Said Amirov was held in the framework of the law. He stressed that the police did not inform the leadership of the Republic of the impending operation; he thinks that the arrest of the mayor of Makhachkala is a step by the country's leadership to restore order in the country.
On the contrary, the first deputy head of the city, Bagand Magomedov, appointed as acting mayor of Makhachkala, expressed confidence that the operation to arrest Said Amirov, searching his home and his workplace, are violation of the law. Moreover, he called the very form of the operation cynical. "Forty masked men shamelessly enter the house in shoes. Without showing any warrants or orders, he was taken to the center, to Moscow", the acting Mayor of Makhachkala explained his point of view. According to him, the procedural design of the detention was carried out after all the actions of the police.
In defense of Said Amirov, who held his post from 1998, a rally of residents and a meeting of MPs was held in Makhachkala. The head of the press service of the administration of Makhachkala, Murtazali Murtazaliyev, said that the judgement on the arrest of the mayor of Makhachkala will be appealed. "We firmly believe that Said Amirov is blameless," the head of the press service said, according to RIA Novosti. Murtazali Murtazaliyev expressed confidence that all the circumstances of the incident will be clarified, and Amirov’s innocence will be proved.
However, in general, the situation in the Dagestani capital during the weekend was calm, and there were no reinforcements of police in the central square of Makhachkala or in front of the city hall.
After the arrest and transportation to Moscow of Mayor Said Amirov the police transported other detainees with him to Moscow: former Assistant Attorney of Kizlyar Magomed Abdulgalimov, his guards Murad Aliyev and Abdulmazhid Akhmedov and Dagestani Interior Ministry investigator for the Kirovski district of Makhachkala, Magomed Akhmedov.
Amirov’s nephew, the deputy mayor of Kaspiysk, Yusuf Dzhaparov, and the alleged leader of the militant group, Sirazhudin Guchuchaliev, were also brought to Moscow. With the arrest of his nephew, who was detained on May 31, the Dagestani thriller began to evolve.
The names of several other detainees involved in the case of senior officials were not disclosed in the interest of the case. The investigating authorities do not rule out that they can make a deal with the investigation. The transportation to Moscow is due to the fact that in Dagestan the investigation could face more pressure and some forces could well organize the "rescuing" of high-ranking detainees.
As VK previously wrote, the mayor of Makhachkala Said Amirov is known not only as a tough and strong-willed mayor, but also as one of the most influential politicians in the North Caucasus. Did he play a major role in the 1990-2000's, or has he yet to play it? This question has no simple answer. But, without a doubt, he as an informal leader influenced the course of modern history of Dagestan and Russia as a whole.
Said Amirov hails from the small village of Dzhanga-Mahi in the Levashinskiy district in central Dagestan. It is a densely-populated foothill area with many large villages, where the majority are Dargins, but there are Avar villages. Many Dagestani politicians, officials and businessmen came from this district, including the previous head of the republic, Magomedsalam Magomedov.
Amirov himself worked in the consumers cooperation of Dagestan since the beginning of the 1970s and in 20 years has moved up the career ladder from worker to CEO. In 1991, he was vice-president of the government of Dagestan, and in 1998 in the general elections for the head of Makhachkala he received more than 70% of the vote.
In the post-Soviet period Dagestan has never publicly chosen the head of the republic. The most massive possibility to express the will of the people was the election of the mayor of the capital. The election campaign took place then in fierce competition with public speaking and mass actions. Amirov was supported by representatives of various ethnic communities in Makhachkala, but his influence was not confined to the capital. Many heads of municipalities were his supporters. He joined the leaders of other municipalities in the Union of Local Authorities, which was later transformed into a Council of Municipalities and entered the Congress of Municipalities of the Russian Federation. NGOs in Dagestan are numerous, but this council is still one of the most influential informal structures.
To understand its significance, we need to have an understanding of the political structure of the country. Peculiar power branches in Dagestan are not the government, the parliament and the courts, but the ruling clans. These "powers" in the country are not three but many more.
The Union of Local Authorities in the 1990s maintained a delicate balance between the elites and clans, between the Soviet officials and the new national leaders. Both the Republican leadership and the federal government were forced to reckon with them. The political alliance of municipalities served as a checks and balances system, but Amirov’s mission did not please everyone - in 10 years he was attacked about half a dozen times.
With the arrest of the mayor of Makhachkala a new division of power within the political elites of Dagestan may occur in Dagestan; time will tell how calm and bloodless it will be. It seems that Ramazan Abdullatipov has begun to seriously fight for the future of Dagestan, having received the full and unlimited support of the federal government. The election of the head of the republic in the autumn will demonstrate the effectiveness of the steps taken.
